Don't Pick the Flowers
Dear Leading Ladies,
While I was walking through a beautiful flower garden last week with my five-year-old granddaughter (in a land far away from New England), she asked to pick one of the pink blooms. Just one, she insisted. I, of course, gave the standard line about how if everyone picked even just one, soon there would be none for people to see and enjoy.
So, what does this have to do with our concerns as Leading Ladies?
It may seem a stretch, but hear me out.
If everyone picks one flower or neglects to cast one vote…
We each have one vote. If a few of us don’t vote, maybe it’s no big deal. But if a lot of us don’t vote, we are throwing away a lot of power. Power for change. Power for good. Power for the causes we believe in. And we never know how many others aren’t voting, do we? Just like picking a single flower, we don’t know if everyone after us, or just a few, are going to pick flowers and ruin the garden. Do we really want to throw away our opportunity to make a difference?
We in Massachusetts can get a little smug about our leaders and policies and how lucky we are. We feel safe from some of the horrific rulings and decisions made in other parts of the country. We can feel that it doesn’t matter whether we vote or not because the good guys always win here. But repression and autocracy has an insidious way of spreading, so we best not be complacent.
Nex Benedict, a non-binary student who had been bullied by classmates, died recently after an altercation at school. (photo.independent.uk)
In just one week in the news
An 18-year-old student in Texas was suspended from school for his hairstyle. The action by the school was supported by a judge who agreed that suspending the student did not violate the law. The young man’s hairstyle is called locs, long ropelike strands of hair, which he neatly pinned up in a barrel roll.
In Florida, where there is an outbreak of measles, the state Surgeon General is going against common medical advice and saying that unvaccinated children who may have been exposed to measles may attend school at their parents’ discretion. Normally, a 21-day quarantine is advised and/or required for this highly contagious disease.
The head of Oklahoma Public Schools, “one of the loudest voices in the state seeking to prevent discussion and promotion of L.G.B.T.Q. issues in schools,” according to the New York Times, said school policies had nothing to do with the death of a non-binary student who was bullied and harassed in a school bathroom.
A court ruled in Alabama that embryos frozen to be used for in vitro fertilization should be considered children. Luckily, leaders in both parties came forward to fight for the protection of this widely used reproductive treatment.
Darryl Greene was suspended from school for his hairstyle — locs pinned on his head in a barrel roll. A judge in Texas upheld the suspension. (Michael Wyke, Associated Press)
And that’s just last week.
It may seem far away
These events took place far from us, but they could come our way if we are not careful. Currently, for example, Massachusetts has only one instance of book banning, but that could change if the wrong people are elected to city government positions or school committees.
We know we are preaching to the choir and our supporters are probably all enthusiastic and engaged voters. Nonetheless, we hope some of this information gives you fodder in your discussions with others, especially young potential voters, to make them understand the importance of their actions.
We found a very informative list and description prepared by Human Rights Watch of the various issues to consider when voting for candidates this fall. We hope you find A Human Rights Guide to the 2024 Elections helpful, too.
We will be at Night Shift Brewery in Everett this Sunday from 1-4 pm with voting info. Stop by if you are in the area. It’s a great place! As we will be telling the customers, “Voting is like drinking good beer. You never regret it!”
And we look forward to seeing you at Hastings House in Beverly Farms for our afternoon with author Susan Wilson on Sunday, March 10 from 2-4 pm. She’ll be speaking about the subject of her new book, Women and Children First: The Trailblazing Life of Susan Dimock, MD. Free but please register here. A great way to celebrate Women’s History Month. Bring a friend, daughter, sister, book club, or mom!
Best,
Therese (she/her/hers)
Judy (she/her/hers)
Didi (she/her/hers)
Leading Ladies Executive Team